Nurturing Care for Mother & Baby

Month: March 2018

This weekend we celebrate the most influential events in both the Christian and Jewish faiths. Easter, in the Christian faith, is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, after being crucified to pay for the sin of the world. Passover, celebrated by Jews, is the remembrance of God’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt after the Ten Plagues. As your little ones grow they will need to know the particulars of these events because they will be confronted with them through out their lives. Even if you do not practice a certain faith you owe it to you kids to help them understand these.

This history of both Christianity and Judaism are explained in the pages of the Holy Bible, or Torah. American culture and language are filled with references to the stories found there. Good Samaritan laws refer to the parable Jesus told of the Good Samaritan who helped his enemy in time of need. The Ten Commandments, given by the God of the Hebrews to Moses on Mt Sinai, are the foundation of British Common Law, which in turn is the basis for our civil and criminal court systems. David and Goliath are referred to in literature and common language referring the Jewish King David who killed the giant Goliath with a stone and a sling. Even the calendar used in the western world for the past 2.000 years refers to B. C. (Before Christ), and A. D. (After the Death of Christ). Certainly you can think of many more examples of these influences. A proper education in America requires at least a general understanding of these things.

In the Holy Bible the Old Testament is filled with accounts of God’s people and their many activities. Reading these stories to your children enriches their understanding of the world and their place in it. The New Testament is the story of the life of Jesus Christ, accepted by most as an honorable and righteous teacher and leader. Again, great material for teaching your kids about how to live their lives well. Below find some links for finding these references.

In this day and age Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a great fear of many parents. SIDS is not technically a diagnosis. It is a catch all phrase, meaning it is what we are told when there is no explanation for the death of an infant. There are many points expressed by the professionals regarding SIDS: It can happen in any family regardless of educational, financial, or age parameters. It occurs most often between 2 and 4 months of age. It often deals with affixation even though there are no indicators of how.

To put it mildly, every parent, grandparent, doula, and baby care worker lives in fear of this ominous enemy. We are told there are ways to avoid SIDS. However, if those proposing ways to beat SIDS have no idea what causes it, how can their preventative measures keep it from happening? Logically speaking, they can not. So what are we to do?

We can read and listen. It is important we be mindful of the possibilities, however, living in fear of this terrifying predator will only cause havoc. We simply have to do the best we are able to avoid it, and go on with our lives. There is not a parent alive who has not wondered, when their baby sleeps longer than normal, if something is wrong. The current environment does not allow us to ignore the possibility. Yet, the occurrence of this is extremely low. This does not diminish the suffering of those whose lives are affected.

In 2015, there were about 3,700 sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUID) in the United States. These deaths occur among infants less than 1 year old and have no immediately obvious cause.

The three commonly reported types of SUID include the following:

SIDS.

Unknown cause.

Accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed.

In 2015, there were about 1,600 deaths due to SIDS, 1,200 deaths due to unknown causes, and about 900 deaths due to accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed.

The odds of your baby suffering this diagnosis are minimal. Do not live in fear. Please contact me with quesions. There is information below that can help you understand this. If you tend to obsess on the negative I encourage you not to read these articles. I wish there were words that could alleviate your fears and mine.